Spike.



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APPLIOAT FILED PEB.14, 1912.

1,032,985. Patented July 16, 1912.

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(/1, a 3M 62m w I HMO-c1411 GEORGE BLACKWOOD, OF IN VERNESS, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA.

SPIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jur 1c, 1912.

Application filed February 14, 1912. Serial No. 677,409.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BLACKWOOD, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Inverness, in the Province of Nova Scotia and Dominion of Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spikes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved railway spike provided with means, including an anchoring device of novel construction, and a locking wedge of novel construction cooperating with the anchoring device, to secure the spike so firmly after it has been driven into a tie asto effectually prevent the spike from working loose or being casually withdrawn, and thus enabling the spike to hold the rail securely on the tie against the stress to which the rail and tie are subjected by the action of passing trains, the invention consisting in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing :+Figure1 is a side elevation of a railway spike constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the spike, showing the same in place in a railway tie, the latter and the rail being indicated in sec.- tion. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the spike at right angles to Fig. 1.

In accordance with my invention, the spike 1 is provided with a head 2 for engagement with one of the base flanges of a rail and is also provided at the outer side of the spike with a heel 3 to bear and be embedded in the upper side of the tie, the spike being also provided, in its outer side, with a groove 4 which also extends upwardly through the head and is open at its upper end and also at its outer side, the said groove extending through the heel of the head.

In connection with the spike, I provide an anchoring device 5 which is here shown as a shank 6 of a size and shape adapting it to fit into the groove of the spike, a barb 7 at the lower end of the shank on the outer side thereof, and an arm 8 which inclines upwardly and outwardly from the upper end of the shank. At the inner lower end of the said arm is a shoulder 9 which projects from the inner side of the shank. I also provide a locking wedge 10 which is arranged to operate in the groove of the spike and to lie between the bottom of the groove and the downwardly in the groove of the spike,

after the latter has been driven in the tie and engaged with the rail flange and after the anchoring device has also been placed in the groove, the saidlocking wedge serving, as it is forced downwardly in the groove of the spike to force the lower end of the anchoring device outwardly and thereby engage the barb thereof with the tie at a point a distance from the upper surface of the tie, so as to effectually prevent the spike from Working loose in the tie or from being withdrawn. The locking wedge, which thus engages the barb of the anchoring device with the tie becomes engaged by the shoulder 9 of the anchoring device and, hence, the locking wedge is also looked in place and is prevented from working loose and from being casually withdrawn. By means of a suitable implement, however, the arm 8 of the anchoring device may be moved outwardly so as to disengage the shoulder 9 of the anchoring device from the shoulder 11 of the locking wedge and the latter can then be withdrawn to enable the anchoring device to be afterward withdrawn and, hence, permit of the withdrawing of the spike.

l/Vhile I have herein shown and described a preferred form of my invention, I would have it understood that changes may be made in the form, proportion and construction of the several parts of the invention, without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. A spike having a groove in one side, in combination with "an anchoring device loosely fitted in said groove, and a locking wedge between the anchoring device and the bottom of said groove, said locking wedge and said anchoring device having coacting means to lock them together.

2. A spike having a groove in one side, in combination with an anchoring device loosely fitted in said groove, and provided at its upper end on its inner side, with a shoulder and also provided at its upper end with an outwardly extending upwardly inclined arm, and a locking wedge arranged to be inserted in the groove between the bottom thereof and the said anchoring device, the said locking wedge being provided with a shoulder for engagement by that of vice, the said locking wedge being provided with a shoulder for engagement by that of said anchoring device, and being also provided with an enlarged head at its upper end.

4. A spike having a head at its upper end provided at one end with rail engaging means and at the outer end with a heel to engage the upper side of thetie, the spike being also provided in its outer side with a groove, the upper portion of which extends through the head and opens outwardly in the heel of the spike, in combination with an anchoring device loosely fitted in said groove and having a shoulder at its upper end on its inner side and also provided. at its upper end with an inclined outwardly extending arln arranged in that portion of the groove which is in the heel of the spike head, and a locking wedge arranged in the groove in the spike, between the bottom of said groove and the said anchoring device, the said locking wedge having a shoulder for engagement by that of the anchoring device, and also having an enlarged head at its upper end.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE BLAGICWOOD. l/Vitnesses:

DANL. MGNEIL, PETER D. MoKAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

